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Thread: Stealth Hunting with Firearms

  1. #1
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    PatMarlin's Avatar
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    Stealth Hunting with Firearms

    I'm interested in knowledge, opinions (or even theories), on ways we can hunt with our firearms, but draw the least attention in an area possible.


    Items like sub-sonic loads, etc. for a variety of the common firearms we all own. Big bore to small bore. Cast boolits to shot. Rimfire to centerfire and muzzleloaders. Using your big bore lever action for birds. Multitasking with one firearm. Pistol to rifles.


    Would be greatly interested in what's your favorite caliber and firearm for a particular game animal, large and small.


    Maybe one day we may need to do more hunting, and it would be an advantage to be able to hunt game without all the full house BANG and needless attention in some areas.


    So if anyone's interested in this subject lets roll with it...

  2. #2
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    Just fire one shot, it really doesn't matter how loud it is. It is rare a person can tell from what direction one shot came from, two or more and they can hone in on the sound.

  3. #3
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    Silencers (or suppressors if you're really tactical) can be helpful.

    Cat sneeze loads are very effective for both noise and killing power. Especially big bores like the 45-70.

    Paco Kelly wrote an article about using round ball in his .348 Winchester to kill some grouse and two does during a hunting trip once. Very lightly loaded.


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    Cogito, ergo armatum sum.

    (I think, therefore I'm armed.)

  4. #4
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    Hey Cat...!

    Paco is he still around?

  5. #5
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    The longer a barrel is the quieter they seem with same loads compared to short barrels. My only mold for the 45 colt is the 300 gr lee. Just playing around I tried 6 grains of unique and it sounded more like a 22 in the long barreled marlin. I doubt it would be an affective big game killer, but it killed the clay pidgeons quietly and positively. lol

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    My opinion is to heck with others, shoot to kill. people that move to hunting areas should have stayed where they came from if it bothers them.

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    What does it take to use a suppressor? Class 3 or what. Plus many thousands to get one and fit it.
    Since I use revolvers, kind of funny anyway.

  8. #8
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    Actually the tax stamp for a suppressor is only $200.00
    Wait time for that stamp is approx. 9 months
    [SIZE=4][B]Selling Hi Quality Powdercoating Powder

    I carry a Nuke50 because cleaning up the mess is Silly !!

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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by 44man View Post
    What does it take to use a suppressor? Class 3 or what. Plus many thousands to get one and fit it.
    Since I use revolvers, kind of funny anyway.
    If your CLEO signs off on the forms you pay for the supressor, pay the $200 tax stamp and wait 9 months to a year to receive the stamp.

    If your CLEO won't sign off then you have the added cost of forming a trust. But there is an added benefit to a trust at the moment. Trusts are able to submit forms electronically which drastically cuts the wait time. Average time is around three months, when the system is up and running.

    The NFA is garbage to begin w/. But supressors should not be on there. They are encouraged in Europe to keep noise pollution down. They make it safer on your ears, obviously, which is great for young and old alike. I'm hoping they come off the NFA because costs would come down dramatically. A can w/ baffles in it does not warrant the current prices if the market was opened up. W/ it being a closed one the prices are higher then they should be.

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    Won't work for big game, but I've been using 1.5 grains of Bullseye in .22 Hornet loads and have found them to be accurate enough for squirrels at realistic small game ranges for me. Quieter than a .22 LR, you can barely hear it at the range with ear muffs on while shooting.

  11. #11
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    Unfortunately, I live in the Golden state and we are not deemed competent to own suppressors.

  12. #12
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    In any .30 cal. I've tried it in, from .32-20 to .303 Brit or '06, the little LEE flat-nose on 5.0grs. of Red Dot is more effective on suitable targets than any .22 rimfire out to about 100 yds., quiet and quite accurate. I bored out the GC base with a 5/16" drill to make a PB.
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  13. #13
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    i believe in the one shot theory too.

    stealth hunting then one must blend in

    are we talking about poaching ducks in the park pond or sneaking though the scrub.

    i'm more attuned to a slow stumble around these days or just sit under a shady tree and see what turns up.
    I can't stoop and walk well anymore let alone crawl or sliver. If I did I'd probably have to have a nanny nap after a short distance.
    Springing up to take a shot is petty well much out.

  14. #14
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    Wonder if a soda can PB gas check would improve that 30 cal as well?

    Be nice to have a selection of light and heavy loads in your pocket- even some type of shot load in a sabot or something to get a decent range out of lever actions too. Lever actions are such a great tool. 45 Colt, 45-70, 35 Rem, and 30-30 to work with.

  15. #15
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    Nope- not talkn' about poaching... lol. One shot always rules.

    I'm talking about hunting where it's legal, but close as possible to home. Hunting for food. This would be in earshot of other homes. You never know with some people now days. I think it would be a good idea to develop light quiet loads that save powder as well to get the job done.

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master Artful's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 44man View Post
    What does it take to use a suppressor? Class 3 or what. Plus many thousands to get one and fit it.
    Since I use revolvers, kind of funny anyway.
    If you live in free or semi free state that allow ownership of can's.
    http://www.silencershop.com/support/...uy-a-silencer/
    You have to pay a $200 tax to the Fed's and submit paperwork for a background check - you can apply as an individual, Corp or Trust to purchase. Price of suppressors varies depending upon the company and caliber - if your shooting cast I suggest getting one that disassembles for cleaning.

    As to Revolver's and suppressors
    1895 Nagant is easily suppressed, loading the ammo - not so much but factory ammo is subsonic



    100 grain pills at 1000 fps or so with this cartridge.

    or you can go more exotic


    or more exotic yet
    Knight's Armament Design for the .gov boys...

    The Knight's Armament requires special ammo with a Sabot that delivers the 30 caliber bullet to the barrel and seals the cylinder gap.


    http://www.silencertalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=129656
    http://www.gods-inc.de/macavity/IsleOfShadows/weapons/Castech/sr_Wr09.html


    Pat being your in the People's Republik of Kalifornia with many restrictions - No Suppressor, No Lead Boolits for hunting , etc.

    You many have to get creative - the Cat's Sneeze loads work well with longer barreled rifles - Trailboss is a great powder for developing subsonic ammo - a Chronograph is a must have and keep the loads under 1050 fps.
    As you approach and exceed the sound barrier speeds the noise from the projectile increases significantly.


    http://guns.connect.fi/gow/arcane1.html
    http://guns.connect.fi/gow/arcane2.html
    http://members.shaw.ca/cronhelm/DevelopSubsonic.html
    http://www.castbullet.com/shooting/rb30.htm

    Remember if your speed is limited to subsonic - then mass rules as far as energy increase - you have to also remember that the larger the projectile the more air it displaces when moving so the more noise it makes.
    The 22 sounds much less noisy than the 45 slug.
    Last edited by Artful; 10-18-2014 at 12:19 PM.
    je suis charlie

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  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master Artful's Avatar
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    Not a great video but give you the idea of subsonic sounds from a distance


    Another good video - but salty language is on it.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnU8o53z-WE

    and 22LR with longer barrel - sub vs super
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7kNoAhXqH4

    Terminal Performance of Subsonic is something to think about
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1Q7xRmZAtk
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ag-dtVjHz4 - NOE's 300 blackout cast
    So don't think heart lung but CNS/Head-spine - like using an Ice pick

    - Leheigh explanding subsonic
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zuu5OMNy2gs
    Last edited by Artful; 10-18-2014 at 12:42 PM.
    je suis charlie

    It is better to live one day as a LION than a dozen days as a Sheep.

    Thomas Jefferson Quotations:
    "The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

  18. #18
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    Thinking on this some more, It would kind of depend on what part of the country a guy was in too. Lots of birds (grouse) killed here with a rifle. Everything from a 22 to a guys moose hunting gun, but some states do not allow a rifle for turkeys. In some parts of the country a shotgun would probably be the best do it all gun, but we aren't talking quiet. I know guys that hunt small game with a 54 cal muzzy, mainly to stay in practice with their rifle, instead of swapping up. This works pretty well loaded down. I am thinking any of your levers could be loaded down to fairly quiet small game levels, and a couple of big game loads in a pocket and the ability to change the sights quickly in the field would be very versatile. For deer in the vicinity of too many folks, with some likely to be anti hunting, It would be a tossup as far as quiet or the ability to anchor them without giving the deer a chance of running up on ones back porch before cashing in. lol

    Side note, I have on my must aquire list in the next year or so that Exact mill you are getting rid of and some kind of skidsteer, I already have the drill rig. lol
    What motor do you have on the LT40?

  19. #19
    Boolit Bub
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    I have a .44 Special load using the Lee 200 grain RNFP (which drops at around 210 with my alloy) and 5.5 grains of Unique that goes mid 700's from my 20 inch Rossi. It's maybe louder than a .22LR but hits roughly like .45 ACP.
    I've done in one coyote with it and he went down pretty easy. I imagine it would do in a deer at close range, as well.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by 44man View Post
    What does it take to use a suppressor? Class 3 or what. Plus many thousands to get one and fit it.
    Since I use revolvers, kind of funny anyway.
    My last one for a .308 cost me a bit shy of $800 and that was including the $200 tax stamp. I'm with the guys who say suppressors shouldn't be controlled any more than ear muffs are, but hopefully we can accomplish that someday soon. In the mean time, I'd say the best bet is subsonic loads. I have been playing with various toys off and on developing quiet loads, but so far, one of my quietest is a 22" H&R Handirifle in .44 Mag with a 240gr Lee SWC pushed by 2.7grs of Unique or Red Dot. This load sounds like my pellet gun but has taken several hogs at 50yds and under with head shots. Here's the way I see it. A suppressor is basically a glorified car muffler, and the larger the internal volume, the quieter it usually is as long as subsonic loads go so you don't have to worry about flight noise as much. Having said that, and keep internal volume of the barrel in mind, the larger the caliber and the longer the barrel, the quieter it will be. I use the same powder charge in a .30-30, .308, .30-06, and .303 Brit with appropriate 90-180gr bullets. The heavier bullets in the longer barreled guns are definitely quieter. Not silent, but quiet enough that I use any of these for garden pest control day and night and have taken pests while neighbors were outside BBQing and the only comment that has been said was by one neighbor asking if we can get together with out pellet guns and do some squirrel hunting sometime. I didn't bother to tell him that I had just fired a No 4 Mk 1 Enfield in .303 Brit.
    I passed my last psych eval, how bout you?

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check